PANYNJ vehicle fleet gets greener

It has continued to replace many of its older, gasoline-powered cars and trucks with a variety of low-emissions vehicles, including the US Environmental Protection Agency-certified SmartWay, hybrid, electric, natural gas and clean diesel vehicles.

Recently, the agency’s fleet of 2,000 on-road and off-road vehicles ranked the third greenest among 38,000 federal, state and local agencies, according to a survey issued by The 100 Best Fleets in North America™ and Green Fleet magazine.

“This agency has been committed to initiatives that bolster our position as good environmental stewards in the region,” said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. “Today’s vehicle purchase will result in improved air quality and reduced pollution, and will advance the agency’s sustainability goals by further reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our automotive fleet operations.”

This latest investment is part of the port authority’s ongoing, multimillion-dollar commitment to environmentally friendly and clean energy projects and it’s committed to continuing to reduce its carbon footprint wherever possible.

Its fleet is composed of biodiesel, compressed natural gas, Ethanol-85 and hybrid electric on-road vehicles, as well as a smaller off-road fleet that includes use of electricity, propane and solar power.

With the price of alternative-fuel vehicles falling and the cost of fossil fuels rising, purchasing these vehicles also will help the Port Authority save on costs, while reducing its carbon footprint, the main goal of the agency’s Clean Air Strategy.